The present invention relates generally to the art of data plates attached to outdoor equipment for display of variable indicia such as product numbers and serial numbers.
Aluminum data plates are widely used by manufacturers of outdoor equipment such as barbecue grills to display both fixed and variable indicia. Fixed indicia is information that does not change from unit to unit, such as the name, address and telephone number of the manufacturer. In contrast, variable indicia, such as serial number or other serialized information, will generally be unique to the particular unit (or at least to the particular model).
While aluminum data plates have worked generally well for their intended purpose, they do have certain drawbacks. Because aluminum is opaque, for example, the fixed indicia must be printed on the outer surface of the plate itself (typically by screen printing). As a result, the fixed indicia may become damaged over time, such as due to scratching or peeling.
In addition, the variable indicia is generally stamped into the surface of the plate using specialized stamping equipment. The investment in such specialized equipment is difficult for many manufacturers, particularly smaller companies having limited resources. As an alternative, the stamping could be performed by the vendor supplying the data plates to the manufacturer. However, this will require the manufacturer to predict well in advance the specific serialized information that will be needed.